


Political Warpaint

by Letummordre



Series: Political Warfare (Senator Soloverse) [1]
Category: Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Arranged Marriage, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Ben Amidala AU, Enemy-Identifying Marks, Gen, General Hux is referenced, He takes after his grandmother, Jedi Knight Ben Solo, Luke and Ben try to figure shit out, M/M, Senator Ben Solo, Soulmate-Identifying Marks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-25
Updated: 2016-02-25
Packaged: 2018-05-23 03:50:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,667
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6103892
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Letummordre/pseuds/Letummordre
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ben Solo will forever war with the light and dark inside of him, such is his curse.<br/>But he'll take any cost that doesn't make his nightmares a reality.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Political Warpaint

**Author's Note:**

> Needed a quick break between writing/ editing the next chapter of The Order of Everything, and I'm in love with the Prince/Senator Ben Amidala AU that's been going around Tumblr. So this was born. 
> 
> For robespierrre on Tumblr, who as far as I know made the Kylo Amidala AU popular. 
> 
> Now back to writing, editing and getting to comments :)

**⍏**

**_“Kylo Ren.” He turned, looked down at her. Her eyes were open wide and unseeing, blood spilling across the snow. “You’re a traitor.” She said, her voice weak. “You had a choice to keep your family, to save the Republic. You had everything. And you threw it away.”_ **

**_The blood was slick and cold on his hands, disgustingly congealed._ **

**_“I hate you.” She whispered, “You destroyed everything you could have saved.”_ **

**_He glanced to the side, a flash of red. Concern. Green eyes. He looked back down at her, on the blood on his hands. Her lips were blue._ **

**_“Kylo Ren.” The whisper was soft, but the feeling that came with it reeked of decay, the promise of destruction, waiting on the precipice. A vulture waiting for a corpse to consume._ **

**⍏**

“I’m not!” He screamed, bolting upright. His heart pounded in his ears, soft sheets tangled around his waist. His hands were clenched so hard his fingernails had pressed little crescents into his flesh. They were bloody.

Unseeing eyes, her lips torn and bruised as she whispered.

_ Uncle.  _ He reached out, begging for some kind of solace.

_ Ben?  _ He felt the returning touch, strong and soothing.  _ What happened? _

_ The visions are back.  _ He rubbed his eyes with the back of his hands, the sweat that had collected on his skin was cold. He felt like he’d broken from a ten day sickness.

_ Get dressed, I’m coming to you.  _ Luke’s force touch faded from him.

He forced a deep breath into his lungs, untangled himself from the blankets and forced himself to get out of bed. The gentle brush of his mother’s mind against his own was a quiet question without intruding into his mind.

_ I’m fine.  _ He pushed to her, closing himself off when she received it. Warmth enclosed back, like a kiss against his cheek. He closed his eyes for a moment, pulled on a simple tunic and pants, then picked up a long robe of white with thick fur at the top, decorating the robe to mid-waist where it meshed into the rest of the fabric. It had been a gift, from someone or other. “For the Prince.” they’d said, though he truly ruled over nothing. He was a politician, really. But it was still an honorary title from the days of his grandmother, and when his own mother had been a princess.  

She was a general now, the title discarded like a wet outer robe that was left to dry on the floor. He was a voice for the people, in his own way. He pulled on gloves of the same color, and waited.

Two knocks, hard on the wood. A moment’s hesitation, and then a third knock. Luke.

“Come in.” He said, trying to adopt his authoritative voice. He didn’t need it with his Uncle, but somehow he still felt like he should put in the effort to try.

“The visions.” Luke said seriously, leaning on a nearby piece of furniture. “What were they this time?”

_ Hate. Darkness. Cold.  _ He conveyed the feeling without thinking, frowned when Luke pulled his mind away hastily, disturbed by the intrusion. “I apologize. It was… one of the Kylo Ren visions. I killed her.”

“Her?” Luke questioned, quietly.

“Rey.”

Instantly, Luke’s face flooded with emotions before he could shut them down. Pain, fear, anger, sorrow. Then, nothing. “Why?” He asked.

“I don’t know. I only saw that much. Her lying at my feet, bloody. Dying. Telling me I ruined everything. That she hated me. And then someone else repeated  _ that _ name, Kylo Ren.” He shook his head, trying to clear the images from his mind. “There was something else this time. A man, with red hair and green eyes. It was brief, but it was there. I felt…”

Luke came closer, reached a hand out for him. Ben shied away from it, biting his bottom lip hard enough to make a bloody little mark on his lips. “Different. It was warm. But brief. And then that same voice at the end. The one that has haunted me for years now.”

He made a thoughtful noise, examining the woodwork of Ben’s dresser for a moment. “I am unsure what they are, but they’re important. They wouldn’t be so vivid to you if they weren’t. But remember this, the Force visions are never solid. They aren’t always right.” He examined Ben carefully. “You don’t have to become Kylo Ren.”

He smiled, faintly. “I cannot.” He slid down the glove to the beginning of his palm and held out his wrist, where black bloomed into an unmistakeable name etched upon his skin. His biggest enemy.  _ Kylo Ren. _ It had blossomed only a few days ago, something he was told happened to some individuals, gifted in the Force or not. That could be subject to change, but rarely ever did.

“Ben.” Luke said, looking into his eyes with shock evident on his face. “What is the other one?”

Of course. His  _ soulmate _ . He held out his other wrist. Luke gently pulled down the end of the glove to his palm. It was unclear, unformed and short. It was more like a black blotch that marred the otherwise pale flesh of his skin. Only that much was visible to him.

“This is important, Ben.” Luke said, deep concern wrapping around his thoughts. “You being your own worst enemy is both a gift and a curse. You know what will happen if you give in to the darkness inside you. But you also know how easy it is to blur the lines and become your own worst enemy.”

“I won’t become  _ him _ .” Ben said sharply, “I knew that when I first had the visions. I would never hurt Rey that way.”

“I don’t believe you ever would.” Luke sighed, “You do know that your grandfather had the same fate? The name of his enemy was Darth Vader. He became that person long before he knew what that mark meant, and by then it had been too late to turn back. At least, until the moment of his death. He saved my life. He became Anakin again. But it was his sacrifice. I don’t want to see you have to make that same choice.”

“I have no wish to become Kylo Ren.” Ben repeated, fixing his gloves. “There is a meeting today with someone of the First Order. Someone important, wanting to talk about the ceasefire between us. My mother asked for me to be there. Do you know why?”

“I heard it was to arrange a marriage.” He seemed rather uncomfortable, “Between you and someone else.”

“Jedi are celibate.” Ben frowned.

“Yes well, you’re also a prince of sorts. And a diplomat. In light of the circumstances, and to ensure the Resistance will not fire upon the First Order if the son of their general is involved… you’ve become collateral I’m afraid. Jedi or not.” Luke smiled a little, “You never fully subscribed to that life anyway.”

Ben sighed, “I never quite got the choice.” He glanced at his uncle, then moved to his vanity of sorts. “I’ll make myself presentable. Thank you, uncle. I’ll let you know if anything changes.”

He nodded. “Be careful. Remember to trust your intuition beyond all else.” He glanced about the room before ducking out and shutting the door behind him.

_ Marriage?  _ He sent the thought to his mother, pointedly. It carried annoyance with it.

_ They don’t have many women they could send, you’ll have to do with a man.  _ She was trying for humor.

_ I’m uninterested in any person they could send. All of them are vipers that would sooner spit venom into your blood than commit to something as trivial as marriage. It’s only a title. Only a paper. _

He felt her sadness,  _ that’s not how I felt about your father. _

_ You had the choice to marry for love. I knew I would never have that choice. _

_ I’m sorry, Ben. _

_ What is his name? _

_ General Hux of the First Order. _

He felt his heart beat faster, smoothing a hand through his hair. He selected a color from the vanity. A deep orange red, perfect for blood and the man he’d seen in his dream and brushed the lip paint over his top lip slowly. Smoothly. He added three stripes of it, diagonally down his bottom lip. Three for the rank of general.

_ I will be there soon. _

He closed his mind to her, realizing his simple outfit wouldn’t do. Not for this. Instead, he pulled out a fine outfit, black and soft in fabric. Enough room to move if he had to, but still restricting. It was adorned with gold thread, ornamenting all along the edges. He pulled it on, adjusting the high neck and the thick lace that followed down part of his chest. His lightsaber hung heavy at his hip, only half concealed by his outer coat.

He went back to the vanity, finishing brushing a type of kohl against his eyes and pulling his hair into a thick mass of a bun at the nape of his neck. It would have to do. His eyes looked dark, dangerous in the light. Good. Let them underestimate him. Only he knew the true depths of horror he could inflict, if his nightmares were any indication.

Kylo Ren was cruel, but he was powerful. Ben felt that he shared that quiet strength, but channeled it some place different. Darkness had corrupted Ren, ripped the purity from his veins and replaced it with ice. He wondered what he’d done in that life to become so volatile and evil.

He didn’t want to find out.

He hesitated as he moved to pull on a different pair of gloves, black and thick. Something had changed, he could feel it charging the air around him. Like the Force, in a sense. 

But also something else. 

He lifted his hand, like an offering. 

_ Hux _ unmistakeable on his wrist, opposite of  _ Kylo Ren _ .

“Fuck.” Ben said, louder than he’d meant to. 


End file.
